Insulator cotter and mode of use



1932- H. L. GALLOWAY INSULATOR CUTTER AND MODE OF USE Filed. March 8. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet Dec. 20, 1932. H. 1.. GALLOWAY INSULATOR COTTER AND MODE OF USE ems-Sheet Filed March 8, 1929 FIG?) Patented Dec, 20, 1932 canal STATES PATENT emce CORPORATION, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND INsULAron COT'IVER ,AND MODE or USE ,Appl ication filed March 8, 1929. Serial No. 345,387.

may be made to Patent No. 1,650,034 issued The invention relates to insulators for high voltage transmlsslon .lines where it is cus tomary to support a conductor from a support by ;means of an interposed string or chain of insulator units. Each string or chain may consist ofany desired number of units each of which usually comprises a dielectric body formed with an upstanding neck portion carrying a metal cap connected with a pin embedded in and projecting from the undersideof the unit next above. In

the case of the uppermost unit the cap is of course connected with some suspension ele ment carried by theestationary support from which the string or chain is hung. In some cases the caps areprovided with crevices which receive andwhich are pivotally connected with the pins. of the adjacent units.

.However, thepresent invention has to do with that type of insulator in which the cap is formed with a socket and an opening and in which the depending pin terminates in a more. or less ball-likecor otherwise curved the pin cannot be disengaged from the cap ployed for this purpose with a greater or less head, the pin of each insulator being received within the opening andthe head being re ceived within the socket in the insulator next below. When a plurality of suchunits are assembled to form a string or chain, it is cus tomary to providea cotter pinwhich extends transversely through the cap and beneath the head ofpthe pin therein so that if the units should'move relatively, from some cause or other, so asto result in canting ofcthe pin,

as the head cannot be moved into such position as to pass through the opening communicatingwith the socket. In actual practice cotter pins of various forms have been emdegree of success, the great disadvantage V cessive units, as for instance. in case of a necessity for'replacement of a unit, the cotter maybe withdrawn entirely from the cap and lost; In live line work the operation is generally carried out by means of long poles and it would be. manifestly impossible, bytheir use to replace a pin which has dropped out. For vclearness in explanation, reference November 22, l927 to DLII. .Osborneand ref- ;erence may alsobe made to the pending ap plications or" D. H. Osborne Serial No. 33,538,

HOWARD L. GALLOWAY, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LOCKE mum structure is also disclosed in'the application of Bradfordand Bitter Serial No. 488,203,

filed July 28, 1921 and renewed October 13,

It is with the above set forth facts and conditlo'ns in view that I have devised the presentinvention which has for its general object the provision of a cotter for-the purpose specified, or for'an analogous use, which after being once assembled with respect to the coactlng elements will remain permanently attached thereto so as to be incapable of entire withdrawal, with possible resultant loss, except by the employment ,of special: 'tOOlS WhlCl'LWOllld deform it. i

An important object of the inventionis to provide a cotter of this characterad apted and intended to be associated with an insulator cap in a novel manner, the reverse of the usual procedure.

Another object of the invention is to pro.- videmeans for distorting and spreading the cotter after itis in place so that it cannot be subsequently entirely removed ekcept by the use of a special tool. 1 j An additional object of the invention is to provide a cotter which will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, which may be quicklyand easily associated with or applied to an already existing insulatorcap, which will be eflicient and durable in service and also a general-improvement in the art. To the attainment of the foregoing objects and advantages, the invention preferably consists in the detailed cotter pin constru v tion and also inthedetailed construction of a spreading means for the cotter to be hereinafter morefully describedfa'nd claimed and illustratedin the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an insulator cap showing the novel cotter associated therewith and also showing the cotter spreading device, the latter being partly broken away and in section,

Fi ure 2 is a front elevation of the spreading evice alone,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the insulator cap showing the initial step involved in associating the cotter therewith with the cotter in its normal condition,

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure 3 with the cotter moved into position ready for distortion to effect spreading of the arms there- Figure 5 is a similar view showing the head of the cotter distorted as by means of the spreader shown in Figures 1 and 2, and

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the cotter in its final form and pushed into the position it will occupy when in actual use in an insulator string or chain.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be observed that I have not shown a complete insulator unit as such would be entirely unnecessary to a proper disclosure of the invention especially in View of the introductory remarks supra, it being entirely sufiicient that I have illustrated only the cap 1 such as is commonly used. This cap is of inverted cup-like form with an upwardly extending portion 2 of hollow form to define a socket 3 with which communicate an opening 4 and a slot 5. The opening 4 is intended for the reception of the pin of the insulator next above, the head of the pin being received within the socket 3 Of course the slot 5 permits insertion of the pin and its head upon relative lateral movement of two units being assembled. At a point in alinement with the slot 5 and diametrically opposite the open end thereof there is provided a hole 6 for the passage of the cotter indicated generally at 7 and to be described in detail hereinafter. Within the socket 3 it is preferable to provide spaced guide ribs .8 which are preferably inclined as shown in Figure 1. This fea- "ture is, however, not novel in the present application which has to do only with the cotter 7 and the mode of using the same. The guides 8 are not necessary and if they are provided the hole 6 must be of less width than the space between them, as clearly indicated in Figures 3 to 6.

In carrying out the invention, the cotter pin 7 is formed from a single length of wire or other suitable material and is of general U-shape with its bight portion formed as an elongated loop shaped head 9 defined by crimping the arms 10 inwardly or toward each other as shown at 11. The arms 10 are shown as of equal lengthand have their free ends directed outwardly or otherwise constructed to provide lateral projections 12. The exact manner of making the cotter is immaterial in so far as the present invention is concerned so long as it has the general characteristics above set forth.

The insulator unit is then read 'tionwith others to form'a strin The mode of using the cotter is the reverse of the usual procedure in that, prior to the assembling of the insulator units in a strin each unit 1S equipped with a cotter which is inserted head first into the socket portion 3 of the cap so that the head 9 will pass from the socket through the hole 6 as shown in Figure 3. The cotter is then moved to project outwardly beyond the insulator cap as shown in Figure 4, the outward movement being limited by the engagement of the lateral extensions or projections 12 against the inner wall of the socket 3, as shown in Figure 4. It then becomes necessar to spread the head v9 so that its width will e increased to such an extent that it cannot pass back through the hole 6. Clearly, such spreading or distortion of the head may be accomplished by a. hand tool or by means of a foot operated or power driven machine of suitable type, such as that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 in detail I have illustrated a spreading device comprising a suitable relatively stationary sup )ort 13, upon which is mounted a frame 14 inc uding an upstanding portion 15 having a guide opening or channel 16 therethrou h intersecting a transverse opening 17 0 at least as great width as the desired width of the head 9 after the latter has been spreads \Vhile variations may be resorted to, I have shown verticallymovable guide rods 18 slidable through the frame 14 and support 13 and connected by a cross member 19 from which depends a plunger 20 slidable through the channel or bore 16. The extremity of this plunger is rounded and preferably of more or less cone shape as shown at 21 so that when forced through the head 9 it will distort the same and chan its shape from the elongated form shown inFigures 3 and 4 to the widened form shown in Figures 5 and 6. Any suitable means may be provided for moving the plunger though in actual ractice there may be provided a treadle or t e like, not shown connected by a rod 22 with a cross member 23 carried by the lower ends of the guide rods 18. To effect retraction of the plunger after spreading of the cotter head I may provide a spring 24 surrounding the plunger and abutting against a washer 25 thereon and against the to of the upstanding portion 15.

Assuming t at the cotter has been inserted within the cap as above described, the head 9 is inserted through theopening 17 in the" frame 14 of the spreading device and the plunger 20 foroed downwardly, by whatever means is provided, so that it will enter and be forced through the head 9. As the plunger is ofgreater diameter than the inside width of the head the head will be spread laterally and will asume the form shown in Figure 5.

for connecor chain. Thedepending headed pin of eunit intended to be next above is inserted through the slot 5 so as to be disposedwithinthe opening 4 with the head of the pin accommodated within the socket 3. The cotter 7 is then moved longitudinally from its projected position shown in Figure 5 into an inwardly extending position shown in Figure 6 so that the arms 10 will be disposed beneath the head of the pin carried by the unit next above. The lateral projections 12 at the free ends of the arms 10 ride along and against the confronting faces of the guide ribs 8 and it will therefore be apparent that the cotter cannot become displaced sideways. When the head of the pin is in its proper position within the socket 3 it is located close to the top surfaces of the ribs 8 and the highest portions of these ribs will prevent relative longitudinal movement of the pin and the cap 1. VVhenthe cotter 7 is moved to its innermost position, shown in Figure 6, it is apparent that the pin head cannot be withdrawn from the cap owing to the fact that the arms 10 are ofsubstantially the same height or thickness as the thickest or highest portions of the ribs 8. The point is that it is obviously necessary to move the pin and cap relatively longitudinally of the pin in order to effect disconnection and this relative movement cannot occur when the cotter is in its final position. When the cotter is in its locking position the crimped portions 11 are located within the opening or hole 6 and the end walls of the hole engage within I the depressions formed by the crimping so that the cotter cannot move accidentally.

With the construction above described, it is apparent that I have provided a cotter which will efliciently perform its function and which, when in locked position, cannot be removed except by the employment of a special tool for distorting it as the head is of greater width than the hole through which the cotter passes and as the arms have the outwardly extending lateral projections thereon. From the foregoing it is believed that the construction, mode of use and advantages will be readily apparent to oneskilled in the art without further explanation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention and a. certain'means for effecting spreading of the cotter, it should beiunderstood that the disclosure is merely illustrative and that the right is reserved to make all such changes in the detailed construction of the cotter pin itself as well as in the construction of the spreading means therefor as will not depart from, the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended. Having claim: l

1. The method of applying a cotter to an insulator cap of the type having a socket for receiving a headed suspension member and thus described the invention, I

having the wall of the socket provided with a hole and the cotter being of general U-shape with an elongated head and arms olned thereto by a constricted-portion, the head behaving the wall of the socket provided with a hole and the cotter being of general U- shape with an elongated head and arms joined thereto having means thereon adapted to engage the wall of the socket, thehead being of a width no greater than that of the hole;

saidmethod comprising inserting the cotter head first through said hole from within the socket, and distorting the head to cause a portionthereof to overlie the'hole for preventing subsequent withdrawal of the cotter through the hole.

3. The method of applying a cotter to an insulator cap of the type having a socket for receiving a vheaded suspension memberand having the wall of the socket provided with a hole and the cotter being of general U- shape with an elongated head and arms oined thereto having means thereon adapted to engage the wall of the socket; said method comprising inserting the cotter head-first through said hole from within the socket, and

shaping the head to cause it to project beyond: said hole for preventing subsequent withdrawal of the cotter throughthe hole.

whereof I afii x my signature.

In testimony H I L. GALLOWAY. 

